A Catalyst for Insanity
by Personification Of Epicness
Summary: Following Acnologia's defeat, Fairy Tail has been holding up well. However, we have the gloomy resident ice mage who can't get a certain scarlet haired requip mage out of his mind. Well what if a catalyst was introduced. Can this newcomer help Gray with his dilema? Or will he end up driving all of Fiore into chaos? Dark themes. Grayza. OC. R&R. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail
1. Chapter 1

Ah… Home sweet home. Well… more like guild sweet guild. They were finally back. Godforsaken 100 year quest took a month to complete. Gray's body hurt all over. The ice mage was relaxing at the bar while the rest of Team Natsu informed the Master about the details of the completed quest. Gray decided to sit this one out, which seemed to be the right decision since they were taking their sweet time in the Master's office. Gray downed his glass of fire whiskey and called for another.

It was ironic. Fire whiskey. Of all things, fire whiskey was what appeased the ice mage the most. It really helped quell the pain from all his injuries received during the quest. Gray loved that burning sensation in his throat, and the numbness that followed. To be honest with himself, he wasn't drinking to stop his injuries from acting up. He knew why he was drinking.

He was drinking to drown his sorrows. He cursed his feelings. Why'd Erza have to be so perfect? That's right, Fairy Tail's resident ice mage was in love with Erza Scarlet. He always did have a crush on her ever since the day he met her. Gray had to admit, he never knew that crush would turn into… whatever the hell this was. Mirajane looked at him warily before filling his glass up again. He ice-maked a cube and put it in the glass.

When did he fall in love with her? Maybe it was when he caught her crying at the riverbank all those years ago, or maybe it was when she begged him to retreat in their fight against Phantom Lord. Regardless, Gray didn't realize these feelings until he found himself preventing her arm from being chopped off. Even if he hadn't realized them then, he surely did when Erza cried after Jellal was arrested. His first taste of envy.

What hurt him the most however was when she told him to reply to Juvia's feelings towards him on that bridge in Crocus. Juvia. Even thinking about her brought on a wave of regret. Gray had to admit, Juvia's HOT. A dime. Literally perfect. What man wouldn't want his woman to fangirl over him. She's given him everything. She's sacrificed herself time and time again. She's been there for him when he needed her most. But still, she was no Erza. And that was what made Gray feel like such an ungrateful bastard.

Juvia was more than worthy of his love. After Fairy Tail's disbandment, they had trained together for months. She was always by his side. But the minute Erza showed up, Gray abandoned Juvia without hesitation to go help Erza. Straight up, Grade A Scumbag. And now… Juvia is still loyal to him while Erza waits patiently for a pardoned Jellal whilst doing her hair daily. Here he was, drinking down his problems and refusing to deal with them.

Why can't he just move on and accept Juvia? She's way more than he deserves. A goddamn bargain. But he knows knocking her up now would only mean he was using her to get over Erza. Taking advantage of crazy psychotic water mages was not on his to-do list. So he kept downing his glass, hoping he'd just drink himself to death at this point.

He really enjoyed the quest though. Heck, he always enjoyed quests with Team Natsu. Talking with Lucy about her novel, training with Wendy whenever they stopped on the road, scuffles with Natsu and most importantly, the long talks between him and Erza before they went to sleep. See, the rest of the team always fell asleep fast. So, Erza and Gray end up staying awake and chatting each other up until they succumb to sleep. Those are the best conversations in Gray's opinion. One's which lead to the most random of topics. One night, all they talked about was cakes, while on another, they talked about if Natsu was into Lucy.

Gray wished he could go back to one of their conversations and freeze time. Freeze time? That reminds him of another conversation they had on the way back. Since Wendy confirmed Ultear was still alive within a time distortion, maybe there was some way to bring her back. Thinking about that came as a welcomed distraction, until something else pulled Gray out of his thoughts. He felt it in the back of his head. His devil slayer side wanting to warn him about something.

Gray could instantly sense it. Something approaching the guild, he turned around in his bar stool, drink in hand. He leaned against the bar and waited patiently. Something was about to come through the guild doors. His devil slayer sense was going off. He didn't know what to make of it. It was the first time he had experienced something like this. The black markings were starting to appear under his trademark white coat.

The guild doors opened to reveal a young man who stood about half a foot taller than Gray. He wore a red leather coat, black combat boots, black denim pants along with a sleeveless black shirt. Considering he went overkill with black, Gray questioned the man decision to go with white gloves. He had jet black spiky hair and blue eyes to boot. His face was longer than Gray's and he had a killer smile.

"Oh it's you!" exclaimed Macao. "Long time no see."

"Same here, How've you been old man?" asked the stranger with a grin. Gray relaxed. Macao knew him so there was nothing to be worried about.

"Well we're just recovering from a war. But Fairy Tail's been on the up and up recently. We're doing way better than we were when you last visited." said Macao.

"I can see that. Couldn't believe this is the same dump I saw 8 years ago….. or was it 9?" laughed the stranger.

"Eight. Damn you grew up. I barely recognized you. You're no longer the little emo kid who'd go around asking for Laxus." Laughed Macao as he patted the stranger on the back repeatedly while swinging his mug in approval.

"Speaking of Laxus, that's why I'm here. I heard he's back. I came last year around this time but apparently Fairy Tail had disbanded." said the stranger taking on a more serious tone.

"Yeah… a lot's happened Luke. Why don't you take a seat at the bar. It's on the house since you can finally drink legally now. Laxus is off on a quest, he'll be back sooner or later." said Macao, gesturing towards the bar, and more accurately, the seat beside Gray.

They made eye contact as 'Luke' sat down. "I'll have what he's having" said Luke to Mirajane, as he flashed her an infectious smile. Mira smiled back and proceeded to pour him some fire whiskey.

"Yo" greeted Luke, "you weren't here last time I was here. You part of the Tenrou group?"

"Yeah. The name's Gray Fullbuster" said Gray, extending a hand. Luke shook his hand in response and introduced himself as well.

"Lukario Cantona, but you can call me Luke." said Luke.

"So, I hear you're looking for Laxus" chimed in Mira as she refilled both their drinks.

"Yeah, I got a letter for him" Luke said as he took out a sealed envelope from his coat. "oooooooh" Mira exclaimed curiously.

As much as Gray was curious about the contents of the letter, he was even more curious about why Lukario Cantona was causing his devil slayer side to go apeshit.

"Quick question – What kind of mage are you?" asked Gray.

Luke grinned. "Well I guess you don't find mages like me here"

Gray immediately noticed something was off. He couldn't move. It was like his body was wrapped in chains. "Well that's an interesting ability" said Gray through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean Gray?" asked a puzzled Mira. "I can't seem to move" replied Gray.

"You can call it Chain magic. I'm using invisible chains right now. You can feel them, can't you?" asked Luke. Gray could indeed feel the cold metallic texture of said invisible chains.

"Well, even if they're invisible", Gray froze the chains and broke out of them with a satisfying chink. "They aren't unbreakable" finished Gray.

"You're strong" remarked Luke. "But those invisible chains were the weakest of my binding spells"

Gray grinned as he downed his glass. "Confident, are we?"

"Not really. Just stating the facts. I'd say it's about a fifty-fifty." Replied Luke as he downed his glass. "But an ice mage with a knack for fire whiskey? Kinda ironic, isn't it?"

"I'd say this is going to be the start of a beautiful acquaintanceship" laughed Gray.

BAM!

A table came flying in, smashing into Luke and sending him through the bar. "Yo Gray let's fight! Got bored of talking to the Master" yelled Natsu.

"Hey Natsu! Watch it, will you?" shouted Max.

"Yes! A man must watch it at all times" yelled Elfman as he rammed his fist into Natsu's face.

The whole guild froze. Not only did Natsu not dodge Elfman's punch, but Elfman's punch barely moved Natsu an inch. Normally he should've gone flying. It's like Natsu was stuck in place.

"Oh my! Seems like we have a fight" stated Mira cheerfully from behind the broken bar.

From the corner of his eye, Gray noticed a red blur shoot out from behind the bar, heading straight for Natsu.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke summoned chains to wrap around his hands as he shot towards Natsu, successfully making himself some makeshift boxing gloves of steel. He didn't know this 'Natsu' guy, but he assumed that was his name since that was what Max had called him. He also knew this guy was strong since the table he threw managed to send him through a bar. So, he wasn't about to hold back. Besides, he was really pissed off.

Elfman sensed Luke's oncoming attack and instinctively moved out of the way. Luke released the invisible chains constraining Natsu right before delivering an all-in right hook which sent Natsu flying back. Gray chuckled as Natsu flew through the guild doors. The guild erupted in awe.

"What the hell was that?"

"The fight's just beginning people."

"Hey is that Luke?"

"What did he get back?"

"He PUNCHED NATSU?"

"Man, Natsu's about to go all out."

"We gonna need a new hall"

Slowly the murmuring stopped. The entire guild looked at the guild doors, waiting for Natsu to come back swinging. After 5 seconds of painful silence, everyone headed out to find him. Gray tapped a stunned Luke on the shoulder. Luke turned to see that they were the only two people in the middle of the hall.

"Mean right hook. Wrapping your hands in chains? Didn't see that coming" whistled Gray.

Luke grinned. He undid his magic, causing the chains to disappear and reveal the white gloves underneath. "Hey, I have penty of other uses for my magic. It isn't just used to trap my opponents."

"Well, you did quite a number on Natsu." Said Mira. "Last person I remember to have taken him out with one blow was Laxus."

Luke's face lit up. ' _So this Laxus dude is strong after all_ ' he thought.

Soon the bulk of the guild arrived carrying a knocked out Natsu.

"What happened here?" came a sharp yell from the master's office. Gray turned to see Erza standing there, arms crossed.

"Natsu's just knocked out. He'll be fine" said Mira gently.

Erza raised an eyebrow. "Knocked out? Well… as long as he's okay. No more fighting in the guild everyone."

Erza then proceeded to hurry towards the door. "Gray come with me. We're headed to Hargeon"

Gray followed Erza. "Anything interesting?" Gray asked lazily.

"According to the authorities, Gajeel showed up from his mission badly wounded. He was rushed to the clinic." Replied Erza. Gray's eyes widened.

 **At Hargeon**

"Ok Gray I know I asked you to tag along but did you notice the guy in the red coat following us?" Asked Erza.

Gray turned back to an awkward wave from Luke. "Yeah, his name's Luke. Apparently, he came to the guild 8 years ago following the Tenrou incident in search of Laxus."

"I'm Luke" he said as he caught up to them.

"I didn't ask you to come." Stated Erza flatly.

"Well, Gray's one of the few people I've been acquainted with since I got here and I didn't wanna sit at the guild and have everyone fawn over me for beating that Natsu guy, so I tagged along" said Luke.

"Oh, so you were the one who knocked him out. Trust me, he'd even give me a tough time." Laughed Erza.

"It only took a punch though." Smirked Luke. Erza almost tripped. One punch? Natsu?

"Must've been one hell of a punch" marveled Erza.

"Yeah it was. Didn't catch your name." said Luke.

"Erza. Erza Scarlet."

"We're here" stated Gray.

Indeed they were. The newly rebuilt Hargeon Clinic, bigger and more equipped than it was during Acknologia's attack. The trio stepped in and Erza asked for Gajeel Redfox. They were taken to his room. Erza gasped. He was hooked up to multiple Lacrimas. She regretted not bringing Wendy. She would've been really helpful right about now.

Gray noticed his lips moving. "He's trying to say something"

They all listened intently. Gray and Erza couldn't make out a thing. Luke however, managed to get the gist of it. Luke walked up to Gajeel's bed and raised his hand above Gajeel's head. A magic circle appeared under his palm. "What're you doing?" asked Gray.

"Apparently, this weirdo wants to be fed iron" said Luke as multiple chains emerged from the magic circle and into Gajeel's mouth. Gajeel began chewing and swallowing the chains to Luke's surprise.

After five minutes of chain munching, Gajeel was already off the bed. "I feel so much better. Thanks runt" he growled. "No probs… metal eating weirdo." Said Luke awkwardly. He didn't appreciate being called runt, given he was still a tad bit taller than Gajeel.

"What happened Gajeel? They're saying some traders found you beat to shit by the side of the road" said Erza.

"It was the mission. It was a trap. It was just supposed to be me killing a giant snake. There were a dozen of them. The quest didn't mention that. Nearly died. Then a bunch of bandits jumped me. Hell, they knew everything about me. The way I attacked, my weaknesses and all. I recognized some of them. Ex-Phantom lord members." Gajeel growled.

"The master thought as much. We never should have put that quest on the board. It came from a shady source. Even more suspicious was the fact that they specifically wanted you to take the quest. What became of the bandits?" asked Erza.

"Taken care of. But they did a number on me. Tried making my way back to Hargeon. That's the last thing I remember. Who's the new guy?" asked Gajeel.

"Lukario Cantona" introduced Luke. "Weird name." Gajeel remarked, "You from the Pergrande Kingdom?"

"Nah, I'm actually from outside Ishgar. I came from west of Alvarez" replied Luke.

"Oh a foreigner! How'd you hear about Laxus?" asked Erza.

"I don't even know the guy. Someone from back home told me to seek him out" said Luke.

"I don't remember Laxus ever venturing that far west." Said Gray.

"Really? I remember him taking plenty of quests that took him outside Fiore." Remarked Erza.

"Well I don't know how he was back in the day" stated Gajeel, "but Freed did tell me they used to do quests all over Ishgar. Maybe he did a few outside Ishgar as well"

"Enough talk, let's head back to the guild. We should let the master know about this Phantom Lord incident." said Erza. They all headed for the door in agreement.

Gray was in deep thought as Erza thanked the nurse and they left the clinic. They seemed to have a new enemy with the potential resurgence of Phantom Lord. He also had a feeling Laxus was hiding something. Luke seemed to be a decent guy. Gray was still curious about the letter he had in his position.

Somewhere along his thoughts, he started staring at Erza's butt. He found himself mesmerized with the way her hips swung from side to side. For God's sake, why'd Erza have to be so hot? He looked up to see her fiery scarlet locks flowing freely with the wind. The most beautiful sight before him.

"You know, you shouldn't stare so much" whispered Luke beside him.

' _Shit'_ thought Gray. He'd been caught. Seeing the tinge of embarrassment on Gray's face, Luke said "Relax, I ain't snitching. But you make it so obvious. You know girls have this sixth sense. They can tell when a guy's checking them out."

Gray looked at the armored mage in front of him. "So, why doesn't she notice?" he asked.

Luke chuckled. "I think she does, but maybe she likes it when you check her out."

Gray blinked stupidly and then smiled. "You should join the Guild, you'd fit right in."

Luke's expression turned serious. "I seriously doubt that" he said.

 **At the Guild**

While Erza and Gajeel went to master Makarov with the situation, Gray decided to feed his curiosity. He went over to where Evergreen and Elfman were seated and took a seat. Luke followed suite.

"Hey, it's the new guy who knocked Natsu out." Remarked Ever. "What can I do for you boys?"

Gray went straight to the point. "Did the Raijinshuu ever take any quests outside Ishgar?"

Ever squinted for a second but then replied. "No, the Raijinshu never did but Laxus used to take quests outside Ishgar all the time."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You didn't go with him?"

"No, he was adamant that we could handle all the S class Quests in Ishgar my ourselves. It was to get us to grow as a unit." She replied.

Well Gray certainly was gonna have to ask the other members of the Raijinshu when they get back from their quest. "So, aren't you gonna introduce me to the new kid?" asked Ever. Elfman grunted in agreement.

Luke cleared his throat. "Lukario Can-"

"Hey guys, it's Luke. Come on Luke I'll introduce you to the guild." Said Wakaba as he dragged Luke away.

This was going to be a long day. Gray sat back and watched the introductions unfold. The guild already felt like it had a new member.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, so you got more stronger, eh?" asked Lukario as he patted Romeo on the head.

"I'm still not as strong as you Luke-Nii-san" said Romeo.

"You'll get there soon enough. Say, you wanna train together like the good old days? I have a few new tricks as well" grinned Luke.

Romeo was literally jumping with joy. "Hey now, Luke just got here a few hours ago. Some other time." said Macao strictly. Luke had been introduced to everyone in the guild. Well… almost everyone.

Erza approached him. "Luke, the master would like a word."

"Lead the way" he said.

As Erza escorted Luke to Makarov, Levy tugged at Gray's shirt from the back. "Yo!" greeted Gray.

"Hey Gray, you went with Erza to get Gajeel from Hargeon, right?" asked Levy. "Did you notice anything off about him?"

"What do you mean?" asked Gray curiously.

"Well when I talked to him earlier, he totally blew me off saying he had better things to do. It's not like him." stated Levy, with a concerned look.

Gray's eyes widened. "Gimme a minute."

Gray rushed over to where Evergreen and Elfman were. "Hey Ever, quick question, who else knows of the quests the Raijinshu took all over Ishgar?" he asked.

"Well no one really. You were the first to ask me. But, the Master obviously knows, along with Mira, Mystogan and Erza." She stated.

"Well I heard it from Gajeel, who heard from Freed. I was just curious so that's why I ended up asking you." Gray said while scratching his head.

"Bullshit. Freed would never tell him that. Laxus would always tell us to keep the locations of the quests we take secret. Me and Bickslow don't find it a big deal, but Freed follows Laxus religiously."

Gray's face paled. Whoever they had brought back to the guild, it wasn't Gajeel.

 **At the Master's Office**

Luke entered the room. Typical office room. Huge fireplace. Old man midget in a wheelchair in the middle of the room. Luke could hardly believe this man ran the guild. Luke reckoned he could take him down with one finger. Luke squinted when he saw the shadowy figure of Gajeel beside him.

"Look, it's the new guy. Come to beg to join the guild?" Gajeel laughed.

"Gajeel! Do not treat our guest so rudely." Master scolded sternly.

"Whatever geezer. It's not like you're my Dad" scoffed Gajeel.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. Gajeel never talked to him like that. Luke noticed it too. He figured it out simply by the expressions on the faces of both the Master and Erza. This Gajeel guy was trying way too hard to be rude. Almost like he was acting out a persona. Luke decided right then and there, something was off here.

He suddenly felt cold. In an instant the floor beneath Gajeel's feet froze and a hand broke through the frozen floor and dragged Gajeel down. The three people in the master's office froze. What had just happened?

Luke was the first to act. He jumped into the hole without hesitating. He fell through to what looked like a store room. He actually stopped for a moment to look at a giant keg of what he presumed was beer. Until Gray was sent flying through said keg and into Luke. Luke managed to catch Gray, to Gray's surprise. Luke put Gray back up on his feet while Gray mentally noted how strong Luke seemed to be.

"When did you figure it out?" came a growl from the shadows.

"Doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you ain't leaving this guild alive." stated Gray as he took his shirt off, which really seemed to catch Luke by surprise.

"Well I don't care if I die, as long as I get to take Makarov with me" said Gajeel.

Luke's blue eye's turned red. He could see Gajeel clearly in the shadows. His heightened sense picked up on something. "Gray, he's possessed. We can't go all out or we may end up killing your friend."

"So, what do you suggest?" asked Gray, his eyes still wandering trying to locate Gajeel.

"Weaken him to the point that the one who possessed him has to leave the host." Luke stated as if it was blatantly obvious.

"Easier said than done" remarked Gray. Gajeel launched himself forwards, Gray barely had time to react. Suddenly, the room was filled with magic circles, with chains projecting from them and successfully trapping the possessed Gajeel. Luke smirked, believing he was victorious. Until Gajeel started eating away at the chains.

Gray jumped back. "Your chains won't be affective. He consumes iron. It's his element. He's a dragon slayer, so he'll only get stronger"

"I don't know much about dragon slayers, but considering iron is his element – Are all his attacks iron based?" asked Luke, taking off his white gloves.

"Pretty much" replied Gray, getting into his ice-make stance.

Luke dashed forwards. "Here goes nothing"

Gajeel smirked, "Fool"

 **Iron Dragon's Club**

Luke stopped the club mid-swing with his bare hands. To Gajeel's dismay, the club rapidly started rusting from the point of contact with Luke's hand. Luke shattered the rusted club causing Gajeel to fall back.

"Pretty handy, right? It's a curse. I rust every metal I touch. I even have to wear special gloves to make sure I don't accidentally destroy my own chains" explained Luke, but clearly Gajeel was not listening

Gajeel rushed him again. Luke went for a punch and was really surprised when Gajeel phased through it. In the blink of an eye, Gajeel was behind him. Luke's eyes widened. He was screwed.

 **Iron Shadow Dragon's-**

 **Ice make Hammer**

Gray smashed Gajeel with the hammer before he could go into shadow form again. The attack sent Gajeel flying upwards at an angle, straight into the infirmary.

"Dude you're a lifesaver" thanked Luke.

Gray was looking at the hole he had just sent Gajeel flying through. "Don't thank me yet"

Gajeel appeared as the smoke vanished, in full Dragon Force mode. Just as Gray started formulating his plan of attack, Gajeel was hit with a barrage of swords.

"Can't let you boys have all the fun" said Erza as she floated down in her Heaven's wheel armour.

"Wow, queen of swords. You sure change fast." Scoffed Luke.

"It's Requip magic, Seargent Sarcasm." Remarked Gray

"I can change into any armour and equip any weapon in my armory" stated Erza.

"Well if we have an armory, there's no way we can lose." Said Luke as he turned his attention towards the enemy. Gajeel was slightly wounded, but he was far from done. He dashed towards them.

Luke trapped Gajeel again, surrounding him with chains. Even if he could consume them, at least it bought them some time. Suddenly, the room turned hot. Not warm. Sizzling hot.

 **Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist**

Natsu slammed the trapped Gajeel through the floor. "Natsu, here" signaled Erza. Natsu threw him towards her. She sliced through him, and sent him flying towards Gray.

 **Ice Devil's Rage**

The beam knocked back a frozen Gajeel on the floor. Luke approached him and stomped on his gut, causing a black shadow to escape from his mouth and fly into the corner of the room. It turned into a hooded figure.

"Well done. You have bested me young mages. But we will meet again. After all, I do have a contract. Makarov will die by my hands. His time's coming to an end." The figure said in a raspy voice.

Before they could ask any questions, the hooded figure disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"We need to get this guy to the infirmary" stated Luke boldly, hinting at Gajeel.

"Yeah, sure" agreed Natsu, as he threw a limp Gajeel through the hole and into the infirmary, yelling for Wendy to treat him.

 **That Night**

"Well, that was a lot of work" remarked Luke as he gazed at the newly built wall. "Just you wait. We'll be rebuilding it again next week" said Gray sarcastically.

"Thanks for your effort Luke" said the Master. "You want to be a part of Fairy Tail?"

"No thanks, I'm just here for Laxus." replied Luke.

"You should consider it. Pays good. You seem to be a strong mage. From what I've heard, you'll fit right in. Fairy Tail is like family and from what I've seen, you're already a part of it." Said the Master.

Luke looked around the guild to be met with the beaming faces of the guild. For a moment, warmth filled his heart. When it was time to leave, Mira came to him and asked where he would be staying.

"He can crash at my place" said Gray aloud. "I'll be taking you up on that" grinned Luke.

"Wow, best friends already? You're really something Luke. Gray doesn't really get close with new people" remarked Lucy.

"What do you mean? I get along fine with new people." Gray hmphed. Team Natsu said their goodbyes.

"Remember Luke, you owe me a fight. I'll kick your ass for sure" shouted Natsu as he waved goodbye.

"I'll hold you to that." Luke waved back. Luke, Gray and Erza started walking home.

"So, crazy shit like that always happen?" asked Luke.

"No" replied Erza.

"Well kinda" said Gray, "It's like an every other week thing here"

Erza snorted. "Every other week you say? More like every week" she laughed.

"Wow this guild must be crazy" said Luke as he joined in the laughter.

"But I am worried about the Master. That man said he'd be back and that the master was his target. Gajeel still hasn't finished recovering yet. I don't think the master is safe enough with only Ever and the Strauss siblings guarding him tonight." said Erza worriedly.

"Relax Erza take a breather. Mira's more than enough to send that creep to hell. By the way….. Why are you coming with us again?" asked Gray.

"Well, I still haven't seen your new place, nor do I know the address" she replied.

It hit Gray. It was going to be Erza's first time seeing his new apartment. "Oh yeah. Well, prepared to be disappointed. It's literally the same as my old place."

"I still wanna see" beamed Erza.

They walked a few more minutes in idle chit chat until they were finally at the building. a four story high apartment complex. They went up the stairs to the second floor and straight in front of apartment 204. Gray unlocked the door. "Home sweet home"

Erza went in past the small entrance hallway and straight into the living room. Three couches, six seater table, giant window with a view of magnolia river, open concept kitchen and two full sized bedrooms to boot.

"Like hell it's the same. This is way better than your previous dump" marveled Erza.

"I know right. Luke, you can take the bedroom down the hall. I keep it for guests after all." Said Gray.

While Luke moved in to his new room, Gray and Erza took a seat on the sofa. Erza requipped into her white blouse which kinda made it challenging for Gray to keep eye contact with her. Erza was too bust looking all around the apartment to notice Gray staring. She took a deep sniff.

"Wow, the place already smells like you." smiled Erza.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Want me to whip something up?" asked Gray as he gestured towards the kitchen.

"Nah it's fine. Jellal's coming over toni-… Holy shit Jellal" exclaimed Erza, "Sorry gotta go. He's probably waiting outside my door.

Erza quickly got up and left in a hurry. Gray just sat there with a gloomy look in his eyes. Of course, it had to be Jellal. She'd go running to him at the end of the day. No matter how close he got to Erza, Jellal would always be closer.

"So, this Jellal's the competition?" asked Luke as he took a seat on the couch opposite to Gray. He seemed to have gotten comfortable already. He had on blue pajama pants along with his black sleeveless shirt and was barefoot.

"This isn't a competition. I've already lost." Stated Gray sadly.

"Woah partner. Don't go down without a fight. You're in love with Erza, that's for sure." Said Luke.

"Figured that out already? How'd you know I'm in love with her?" asked Gray.

"It's obvious. The way you look at her. I mean yeah, she's hot, but there's something different about the way you look at her. I've known too many people in love to not notice that look. You were staring at her tits when she had that armor on and staring at her ass while coming back from Hargeon. You're attracted to her for sure. But then again, who wouldn't be?"

"Doesn't matter" said Gray, "she doesn't love me back."

Luke laughed. "I wasn't kidding. She did notice you staring at her ass. Why do you think she started walking with extra sway? Trust me, she likes you."

"Not as much as Jellal" mumbled Gray.

"Okay square one. Let's start with everything - both your pasts and how this Jellal guy plays into this mess." said Luke

"Why're you so bothered about this?" asked Gray.

"Because you're my first friend here, you let me crash and I've decided help get you together with Erza as a token of my gratitude." grinned Luke.

"Okay, but it's a long story" warned Gray.

"I got all night bro" said Luke as he leaned back.


	4. Chapter 4

Gray opened his eyes. ' _Goddamnit! Fell asleep on the couch again'_ he thought. He looked around and was surprised to find his living room empty. Wasn't Luke supposed to be here? The last thing Gray remembered was telling Luke about their fight with Zeref. He probably drifted off to sleep. But what happened to Luke. Gray felt like he was listening intently as far as he could remember. Gray proceeded to get himself off the couch, freshen up and head to the guild to grab breakfast.

 **At the Guild**

"- so then I stopped him from doing it and I kicked Zeref's ass" finished Natsu. "So, wait….. was Zeref really your brother?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, like 400 years ago I think" said Natsu.

"And you died but he brought you back to life as a demon and you got raised by a dragon and learnt to accept your human side?" he asked again, sarcasm iminent.

"pretty much" replied Natsu.

"Wow….. that's some crazy shit yo" said Luke as he scratched his head.

"Then came was the fight against Acnologia" chimed in Happy.

"What the hell? Your life is one train wreck after another." sighed Luke.

"Wait, why the sudden interest in out pasts Luke?" asked Lucy in a flirty tone.

"Gray started telling me about it and I wanted to know how it went. He was right. It's like a never ending adventure." smiled Luke.

"Natsu, Lucy, your breakfast is ready" shouted Mira from the counter. They bolted.

Suddenly, Luke's smiling face changed. He had a more worried look now that Team Natsu wasn't around. Well, or so he thought they weren't around.

"Why the worried look, Luke?" asked Erza from behind, startling him.

Luke turned back to see Erza sitting gracefully, eating a slice of strawberry cheesecake.

"Didn't notice you there" he said, "I'm actually worried about Gray. He seems suicidal to me. Like he was trying to kill himself every chance he got."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "He would go that far for Fairy Tail" she smiled, "it's just who he is"

"That's one way to see it. But sometimes I wonder what went through his mind all those times he thought of sacrificing himself. He told me about his past last night." said Luke.

"Oh, he did, did he? Well if you decide to join Fairy Tail, you'll realize most of us here have tragic pasts. There are many members of the guild that had to endure countless hardships to get here." said Erza

"Well you're no exception yourself. With the tower of heaven and the slavery, not to mention your eye and the people you've lost" said Luke.

Erza nearly choked. "How much did he tell you?"

"We were up all night" chuckled Luke, "well if what you said about the guild members' having tragic pasts is true, I should fit right in."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Gray as he took a seat at their table. He went for a new look today – pink shirt and blue jeans.

"Well, since you told me about your past and all, I think it's only fair if I tell you mine." said Luke.

"oh cool. I really need an explanation on how you were able to see Gajeel in the dark and how you knew he was possessed. You also got a rusting curse and my demon slayer sense goes nuts when you're around." stated Gray.

Luke smiled. Oh, how he was going to enjoy the look of pure shock on their faces.

"That's easy enough to explain. I'm a half demon." said Luke as if was obvious. Both Gray and Erza were shocked. "Half Demon?" they repeated.

"Yeah. My dad was a higher demon. Higher demons hold immense power. He left the demon realm and entered Earthland to rape a whore which ended up being, you guessed it, my mom. After raping her and basically her whole brothel, he left. So, my mom brought me up all by herself as best she could with the earnings of a prostitute. It wasn't that bad. Customers trying to woo her would bring me gifts as well. They left me to play while they went to the next room and banged. I think it was when I was about 5 that my mom sold me into slavery to pay off a debt. So, I was forced to fight other slaves for the entertainment of rich assholes. It was a bloodbath. The last slave standing won and even got a nice meal. Me and some other slavers planned an escape. It was the first time I felt like I had a family. But the slave owners got wind of our escape plan. Since they didn't know anything much about it they decided to torture me for more info" said Luke as he gripped both his legs.

"They shattered both my legs. They threw me back in the cell. I was crippled. My so-called family left me and escaped themselves. I tried to escape as well. Crawled all the way to the wall, but couldn't get over it because of my legs. I stayed there for a while, clawing and crying my eyes out. Eventually, I was approached by a lesser demon. He forged a contract with me and unlocked my latent power. I escaped and freed the rest of the slaves in town. I got home to my mom. Just in time to see the brothel getting raided by bandits. I saw my mom get dragged out on the street and raped. I did nothing. I don't know why. Maybe she deserved it for selling me into slavery. Then I saw them smash my mom's head into little bits and pieces as the continued to rape the corpse-"

Erza grabbed his hand, tears swelling up in her eyes. "it's okay you don't have to"

"Erza, I assure you that I have no feelings for my mother." said Luke, venom in his voice.

"Then why're you crying?" asked Gray, concerned.

Luke reached up to his face and felt the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He quickly rubbed them away. "I'm pathetic" he sighed.

"Well, I think we should stop there for now" said Gray, "let's grab some breakfast"

Erza finished her cake while Gray and Luke headed towards Mira.

"Here you go boys" said Mira as she handed each of them a plate of sandwiches.

"Thanks Mira" they both said as they took the plates and headed back to Erza.

They took a seat and immediately began munching through the sandwiches. "So, half demon, got any cool abilities that you'd like to tell me about?" asked Gray.

"Nah. I'd rather keep them a surprise. Trust me they're pretty handy in a fight. My ace in the hole, so to say" Luke replied.

"Cool. Think I prefer it that way." laughed Gray. They continued their conversation.

Erza stood up and went to the master's office. She didn't come back until they were done with breakfast. She had a stamp with her.

She approached Luke. "Where do you want it?" she asked monotonously.

Luke realized what it was. "Look like I said before, I ain't joining the guild. I'm just here t-"

"Just shut up and join dude" snapped Gray, "I know you got trust issues and all but we're all family here. You put on that guild mark and every person in this guild will live and die for you without a second thought. That's who we are. We look out for each other. Besides, you're already family to me and Erza"

Erza nodded. Luke looked at the stamp and then at Gray and Erza. He had to admit, he did trust them. But the voices in the back of his head tried to talk him out of it. Well, one of the voices in his head. The other two clearly wanted him to join. Well, majority wins.

"Alright, I'll do it" he sighed.

Erza beamed. He took off his glove on his left hand and gestured Erza to apply the mark. Thus, a red Fairy Tail insignia appeared on the back of Luke's left hand.

Gray stood up on the table and yelled at they top of his lungs. "We got a new member everyone!"

The guild roared with cheers and congratulations to Luke.


	5. Chapter 5

"First mission successfully completed!" cheered Luke. Him, Gray and Erza had just taken care of a giant sea monster that had been terrorizing Hargeon's port for the last week. It was his first mission. He had just joined the guild this morning and he was already done with his first quest.

"Well, it wasn't difficult by any means" stated Erza.

"Yeah," agreed Gray, "you literally wrapped that thing in chains, I made an ice sphere trapping Erza inside with it and then without any civilians to worry about, Erza went ham on it."

"We make a good team" noted Luke. "So…," he started, gesturing at the remains, "is it edible?"

"Oh hell no" said Gray, "Does that look edible to you?"

"Well, you never know. My blades were properly sterilized so we could try" mumbled Erza looking at the remains.

"No Erza, just No" said Gray.

"You could freeze it" said some random onlooker.

"Oh, for fuck's sake" whined Gray.

 **One Delicious Meal Later**

"Time sure flies. I came to the guild yesterday and now I'm already a member done with my first mission. Speaking of which, that was some good sea monster grub" said Luke as the trio headed back to the guild. They were on the road from Hargeon to Magnolia.

"I know right. It was so nice of the townspeople to cook it for us" smiled Erza, "and Gray was totally against it."

"How was I supposed to know it'd be that good. Literally looked like shit" said an annoyed Gray.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" said Luke cockily. "Then again, not like I can be poisoned. Half demon perks."

"So, you don't get sick?" asked a bewildered Erza. "That seems like an oversimplification. I do get sick but my body produces antibodies rapidly, so symptoms don't get a chance to appear." answers Luke.

"So have you ever been poisoned?" asked Gray curiously. "Yup. A fucking zombie bit me." said Luke nonchalantly.

"Wait….. Zombies are real?" asked Gray. "Oh you don't know the half of it. Well technically they're just fiction, but this kid got hold of this music box that granted wishes and he wished to raise the dead. Lo and behold – fucking zombies." explained Luke.

"Seems like you've been through a lot of adventures." grinned Erza. "Wanna trade stories during lunch?" she asked. "You better have some sick stories" warned Luke. "Trust me buddy, we got loads" smiled Gray.

"Oh yeah, how'd things go with that Jellal guy last night?" asked Luke. "Wow, it's rude to eavesdrop, you know? Well he was running late, he should be at the guild by now." stated Erza.

Gray frowned.

 _Well, fuck._

 **At the Guild**

Luke could sense him as they approached the guild gates. Whoever this Jellal guy was, him and some of his friends were strong. He could still hear Gray and Erza chatting behind him. All Erza could talk about was Jellal, but what pissed Luke off was the fact that Gray was just going along with it and supporting this Jellal guy. Luke mentally sighed. The idiot didn't realize the girl actually wanted him to be jealous.

 _Then again you could be wrong._

That was a possibility. Maybe Erza wasn't that into Gray. But he's encountered too much evidence to suggest otherwise.

 _But she does have the hots for this Jellal guy._

Well, he was just gonna have to let thing play out. He opened the guild gates. "We're back guys" he just casually announced to no one in general. He saw them at the center of the guild. So this was the so called Crime sorciere. To be honest, they seemed to be a bunch of freaks, but they seemed friendly. Well except for the one with the spiky maroon hair. What was his problem?

Cobra lunged forward at full force going straight for Luke's throat, but was stopped inches away. It felt as if Cobra's entire body was surrounded by chains. "What the fuck are you?" asked Cobra. Luke merely blinked stupidly.

"Hey, you attacked him" complained Mira. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." suggests Jellal. "Fuck that, this fucker wants to kill everybody in this guild" said Cobra. The guild went silent. "Wait, what?" choked Luke.

"I can hear your thoughts you goddamn lunatic. Guys he's fucking weird. Multiple thoughts all about killing. What the fuck? Are you arguing with yourself?" Cobra seemed genuinely scared.

"Ah, you must be talking about the voices in my head." Laughed Luke. "Yeah don't worry about them."

Luke let Cobra go and he fell to the ground with a thud. "Wait I can't hear them anymore" Cobra looked at Luke. "Yeah I told them to shut up." said Luke as he helped Cobra up. "Why can't I hear your thoughts?" asked Cobra. "I don't think. It's overrated." said Luke as he headed towards the bar.

Luke needed a drink. Gray caught up to him. "You don't think?" Gray chuckled. "Yeah, it's sort of like a counter measure I developed. It's not that I don't think. It's kind of instinct or like a thought within a thought of nothingness. I had a couple of run ins with a telepathy mage so I came up this to defeat her." said Luke.

"What do you mean a thought within a thought of nothingness?" asked Cobra as he joined them at the bar. "Well instinct has no thought to it but if you look at the bigger picture, it's a thought. It's kind of between a thought and not a thought. Think of it like making your thoughts invisible, thinking instinctively. Works well with you. You probably hear thoughts. The sound of the mind. But against mind readers, it ain't that effective. Good telepaths can mine your brain for thoughts. A mental shield would work better."

"Too much information dude. What's it like fighting a telepathy mage?" inquired Cobra. "It's hell, if you're not careful, you could be trapped inside your own head. That bitch wasn't the strongest person I'd ever faced, but she's definitely make the list for the most dangerous." said Luke.

"Three fire whiskeys" said Mira as she slid the glasses towards them. "Gray…. You mind?" asked Cobra. Gray ice-maked a few cubes and added them to the drinks.

Luke gulped it down in one go and signaled Mira for a refill. "So, enjoyed your first mission?" asked Mira. "Yeah, I got a good meal out of it." Luke laughed. Gray joined in the laughter too when he saw Mira's quizzical expression. "We cooked and ate the sea monster. It made a nice meal, the entire town jumped in." explained Gray.

"Sounds like fun." chimed in Cobra. "Yeah the people of Hargeon were pretty nice. Fairy Tail seems to have a pretty positive persona around these parts. Lots changed in the past eight years." stated Luke. "So, where you from?" asked Cobra. "West of Alvarez, Alakitasia" replied Luke. "A little country called Swiftcruz."

"I've heard of Swiftcruz. Apparently, their military force rivalled Alvarez at one point. Some of the most powerful mages in the world reside there." stated Mira. "Yup, that's Swiftcruz. We could be the most powerful nation in the world if we just learnt to work together. But family politics have all the people at the top fighting amongst each other." said Luke sarcastically.

"Is it true what they say? About the mages?" asked Mira curiously. Luke grinned. "I know this one mage who could wipe the floor with your 10 mage saints." He whispered. What scared Mira was the confidence in his voice. He didn't seem to be messing around. He looked like he knew exactly what he was talking about. Gray didn't doubt him. Cobra on the other hand, had his mind on something else entirely.

"A man and two women." He stated. "I hear 3 voices in your head" Cobra restated.

 _Well he found out._

 _We should definitely kill him._

 _Very observant._

"Eavesdropping is rude" chuckled Luke, "They are the lesser demons that serve me. They aren't in my head, but we do share a telepathic link. There's Dominic, the man, he's the leader of the group. Then there are my girls, Stacy and Violet."

"I bet you're mad I got through your anti mind reading technique." snickered Cobra. "You didn't" stated Luke. "You heard them from their own minds, not mine."

Cobra's face paled as he realized the source of the sounds. "Wait your-"

"Yup" answered Luke.

"What's up guys?" said Jellal, as he entered the conversation.

"GRAY-SAMA! Juvia missed you" said Juvia as she seemed to show up out of nowhere and hug Gray from behind.

 _So this is the famed stalker_

 _She's cute_

 _Master, her body is literally water. She will make a very annoying opponent_

Luke ignored the voices in his head. He frowned as he realized this was the girl Gray was always saying no too. Luke hated people like her. People who were too afraid to face reality that they keep denying it and living within their own delusion. What he hated more was her talking in the third person. But Luke had to admit this girl was well endowed. Maybe he could help Gray out with his Juvia situation and get something out of it as well.

"Gray-sama, who is this?" asked Juvia. "Lukario Cantona. It's a pleasure Juvia. You can call me Luke" smiled Luke. "How does this person know Juvia's name?" asked a curious Juvia. "I know everything" said Luke with a grin.

"He's a new member. Luke's part of Fairy Tail now" said Erza as she chimed in.

 _All the pieces of the puzzle are now present Master._

Luke didn't have to be reminded, but Dominic's queue was welcome. His objective now was to get Juvia and Jellal out of the picture and get Gray and Erza together

 _You playing Cupid now?_

 _What Fun!_

 _I recommend killing everyone with blue hair._

Luke grinned. Oh how he loved pulling strings.


End file.
